A Harvard medical student must be given extra break time during her exam to pump breast milk for her baby, a Massachusetts appeals court judge has ruled.

The student, Sophie C. Currier, of Brookline, Mass., sued the National Board of Medical Examiners after it denied her request for more than the standard 45 minutes of allotted breaks during the nine-hour exam

A study made by the Consensus Research Group Inc., showed that eight out of 10 Filipino mothers believe breastfeeding is a matter of choice. The study, conducted between July 23 and Aug. 1, 2007 polled over 500 mothers across the Philippines and showed most of them believewomen have the right to choose whether to breastfeed their children or to provide a safe, nutritious alternative.

The study finds that in making their decisions, more women rely on the advice of doctors, family members and friends who have experience in breastfeeding than on government brochures, media advertisements or samples provided by hospitals

A national campaign to help educate mothers about the benefits of breastfeeding was "toned down" to the point of futility in response to pressure from the formula industry.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, babies who are not exclusively breastfed for their first 6 months are more likely to develop a wide range of health problems, including ear infections, diarrhea and respiratory illnesses. They also show a 21% higher mortality rate

The Philippine Department of Health (DOH), World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) all expressed dismay over a campaign launched by private pharmaceutical companies against breastfeeding.

"We are appalled by the persistent distortion of data by the Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP)", DOH Undersecretary Alexander Padilla said. "They propagate misleading information that seriously undermines breastfeeding in the country

Breastfeeding promotion, stronger regulations on baby milk advertisements, and lowering of drug prices will be given top priority by the Senate Committee on Health and Demography in the 14th Congress, reappointed chairperson Senator Pia S. Cayetano announced Wednesday.

At the same time, the lady senator said she was willing to help iron out differences between the House and Senate versions of the Cheaper Medicines Bill, and even among similarly themed bills filed by different senators seeking to lower drug prices